Segments in this Video

Picasso and His Gang, 1906-1916(03:45)

Pablo Picasso engaged in an artistic competition with Henri Matisse to produce the most avant-garde style work. Even Picasso's friends disapproved of the work he created, "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon."

Picasso's Control(03:55)

A young German art dealer wanted to buy Picasso's scandalous "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon," but he would not sell it to him. Picasso controlled the social environment at the Bateau-Lavoir, and Max Jacob grew very unhappy and jealous.

Upgraded Apartment(03:41)

After five years, Picasso moved out of Bateau-Lavoir to an upscale, well-furnished apartment. Picasso started dieting and going out less. Jacob visited him on Sundays.

Analytic Cubism(02:07)

Picasso experimented with Cubism in 1908. In 1910, Picasso painted strange paintings that were often unrecognizable despite the models that posed for him.

Stolen Goods(03:13)

The "Mona Lisa" was stolen from the Louvre. Picasso was implicated because he had purchased stolen work years prior. Foreigners to France as they were, Picasso and comrade Guillaume Apollinaire were afraid of being expelled from the country or arrested.

Risky Solutions(02:29)

Picasso and Apollinaire thought of ways to get rid of the stolen work without being caught. Eventually, the police confronted them with a search warrant, and Apollinaire was arrested.

Picasso's Fumble(02:54)

After Apollinaire's arrest, Picasso was arrested and brought before a judge; he denied knowing Apollinaire and having ever seen the stolen art. Apollinaire was exonerated;the event affected the friendship between the two.

Condemnation of Cubism (02:31)

Apollinaire published a text without punctuation called "Alcools." Marcel Duchamp was an audacious painter during the evolution of Cubism. In 1913, his painting starred in an exhibit in New York.

Poor Max Jacob(02:46)

Max Jacob was still very poor despite the growing wealth of the other former residents of Bateau-Lavoir. He published a book of Celtic songs, but was no more than a beggar. Picasso's relationship with Fernande Olivier ended.

Test For Modern Art(04:39)

In 1914, the Cubists attended an art auction. A piece of Picasso's sold for 11,500 francs. Picasso had not attended the auction.

Bateau-Lavoir Separations(03:30)

The European world faced a politically tumultuous time in the early 1900's. Foreigners enlisted in the foreign legion in France.

Montmartre Remains(02:50)

Remaining in Paris were Jacob and Picasso. Apollinaire had enlisted in the military. Apollinaire met a girl and promised to write a book for her.

Apollinaire's Lost Love(03:50)

Apollinaire completed basic training. While he was away at war, his girl fell out of love with him. In January 1915, he met a pretty 19 year old.

Cubism and Camouflage(02:20)

A telephone operator and painter created camouflage with the helpers of Cubists, the first in military history. The Cubists were vital because they understood the idea of looking at an object from all angles, not just a singular viewpoint.

Poet Soldier(04:36)

Apollinaire's career as a solider was solidified and he was known for being very courageous. He experienced the trenches and difficulties of war, and wrote to his lover in his spare time. He was known by the soldiers under his command as Cointreau Whiskey.

Credits: Picasso and His Gang: Episode 2—The Adventurers of Modern Art (01:03)

Credits: Picasso and His Gang: Episode 2—The Adventurers of Modern Art

Description

Picasso responds to Matisse with Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. The canvas causes a scandal and ushers in the aesthetic of Cubism. Not long thereafter, however, a series of rifts occur. Picasso, now wealthy from record sales figures, leaves the Bateau-Lavoir. Apollinaire moves into the heart of the Saint-Germain neighborhood. The poet Max Jacob, the poorest of them all, is one of the only bohemians to continue living in the hardscrabble misery of Montmartre. When the First World War breaks out, yesterday's friends part ways forever. Braque, Derain, and Vlaminck go to the front. Picasso stays in Paris. Apollinaire is wounded on the front lines in 1916.